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Chessington World of Adventures Resort

Tim said:
Just shown this to my other half, she works at IKEA. They sell these for 75p...
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IKEA hot dogs are definitely not foot long. Ā£13.50 is ridiculous but the two products canā€™t be compared. Now Costco sell a 1/4 pound weight hot dog with soda for Ā£1.50 which might be more comparable. But the standard IKEA ones are small really.
 
jon81uk said:
IKEA hot dogs are definitely not foot long. Ā£13.50 is ridiculous but the two products canā€™t be compared. Now Costco sell a 1/4 pound weight hot dog with soda for Ā£1.50 which might be more comparable. But the standard IKEA ones are small really.
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I make no claims they are the same product. I'm sure the meat is also quite different.
But visually in terms of what you are getting they really don't look too different, and that was kind of the point. For anyone to charge over Ā£10 for street food they've got to at least give the illusion you are getting a premium product. Put it in a fancy bun, add lettuce, sell it with a special sauce. Something to justify the very fancy name on the sign.
 
Have to say there quality of theming is definitely of a European/USA standard now. It seems to be a-lot more thought out, a lot more details, more 3D signs, more interactive etc. I would say this is on par with Paultons new themes. Why Wasnā€™t The World Of David Walliams anything like this


I remember Ice Age 4D was very well themed for that type of attraction. Do certain IP put a certain type of pressure, requesting a higher standard of theming along side there merch?
 
Tim said:
I make no claims they are the same product. I'm sure the meat is also quite different.
But visually in terms of what you are getting they really don't look too different, and that was kind of the point. For anyone to charge over Ā£10 for street food they've got to at least give the illusion you are getting a premium product. Put it in a fancy bun, add lettuce, sell it with a special sauce. Something to justify the very fancy name on the sign.
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Operating in a closed market, they don't have to do anything.
So they don't.
 
rob666 said:
Operating in a closed market, they don't have to do anything.
So they don't.
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The market is not as closed as they might think. There are two other options:
- next time, I'll bring my own lunch
- next time, I'll go to Paultons instead...

I can't be the only one here that's read many reviews about the quality and cost of food across all the parks this year and been put off visiting :(
 
TroySmith1 said:
I remember Ice Age 4D was very well themed for that type of attraction. Do certain IP put a certain type of pressure, requesting a higher standard of theming along side there merch?
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Yes, there are usually a lot of binding conditions, although how diligent the license-holder is in ensuring the park maintain standards tends to vary. For example, CBeebies Land was fairly flawlessly presented for a few years, but has occasionally descended into the grubbiness seen across the rest of Alton Towers.

Universal got Harry Potter over Disney as they presented J.K. Rowling a more 'authentic' and complete vision of her property than their competitors, which I still feel is the gold standard for modern IP. She doesn't 'mystery shop' (too busy on Twitter...), but her people still watch the parks like a hawk. Gradually, she has come round to ideas like seasonal events and even incorporating Halloween Horror Nights.

Jumanji was produced in the main by Columbia Pictures, who have no specific parks in which to showcase their properties. In terms of standards, I'd hazard a guess they are somewhere in the middle of the scale between Rowling and er, whoever oversees Paw Patrol.
 
Particularly since that's a good 2 1/2 hours before park close, would have thought Tiger Rock would be more popular later in the day so closing it early is a bizarre choice.
 
Rode Mandrill Mayhem at the first to ride event today; pleasantly surprised! Got five rides in, with two on the back and one on the front. Definitely more intense on the back and the inversion has more force than you might expect from Chessington. Theming was pretty good all around too. Reliability seems a bit dodgy at the moment, they started running on only one side about an hour in which really affected how smooth the ride was (negatively). We got stuck on the breaks for about 5 mins too; speaking of, the breaks are probably one of the most intense points of the ride haha. Overall, pleasantly surprised.
 
Tim said:
The market is not as closed as they might think. There are two other options:
- next time, I'll bring my own lunch
- next time, I'll go to Paultons instead...

I can't be the only one here that's read many reviews about the quality and cost of food across all the parks this year and been put off visiting :(
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I agree completely, and gave up on Merlin food due to cost/quality concerns decades ago, but there is a fresh schoolful of mugs every new season to mop up those that walk away.
Like the rip offs on the coast and at other tourist traps... they don't care about great standards, the fresh tide brings in another batch of trippers to rip off.
 
TroySmith1 said:
Have to say there quality of theming is definitely of a European/USA standard now.
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I mean, itā€™s not - theyā€™ve done a good job with some of the smaller details and the bazaar retail/games area but there are still huge swathes of the green prison fencing on show, most of it without any planting to cover it up in future, and the area continues to look like a landscaped section of Dobbies garden centre rather than a jungle.
 
Tim said:
I make no claims they are the same product. I'm sure the meat is also quite different.
But visually in terms of what you are getting they really don't look too different, and that was kind of the point. For anyone to charge over Ā£10 for street food they've got to at least give the illusion you are getting a premium product. Put it in a fancy bun, add lettuce, sell it with a special sauce. Something to justify the very fancy name on the sign.
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Visually they are completely different, one is a thick foot long sausage, the other is a skinny 4 inch sausage. While the price is high, the difference in product between an IKEA hotdog and a foot long hotdog is clear. Itā€™s like comparing a hamburger to a quarter pounder, both have the same ingredients but you can notice the size difference.
Yes they could also offer premium toppings as additional products but many guests would still want a plain sausage. The fancy name is the type of sausage.

The issue is they are charging Ā£13 for something that should be around Ā£8, then they could offer alternative options for Ā£10+
 
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